Boone expected to accept arbitration

[Xanadu Dragon]

What's this all about?

[satchel]

Originally posted by Xanadu Dragon
What's this all about?

The answer to your question may be in this interesting piece by Baseball Prospectus's Joe Sheehan, which I was planning to call to everyone's attention anyhow:
http://baseballprospectus.com/news/20011213daily.html

Sheehan's thesis is that both players and teams can use the possibility of arbitration as a bargaining chip. In Boone's case, he threatened to accept arbitration to get Seattle to up their offer: give me $10M per for three years, or the arbitrators will give me $12M for one year. It looks like he's making good on that threat now.

[CubFan7125]

Charlie Finley looks smarter & smarter every year, it's arbitration, not Free Agency that will kill the owners. And he said that 30 years ago.

[Yogi#8Fan]

This articles is about Bonds, not Boone, but deals w/his accepting arbitration:

No place like home -- Bonds stays with Giants; Gonzalez, Park face deadline (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/news/2001/12/19/bonds_giants_ap/)

Posted: Wednesday December 19, 2001 6:52 PM
Updated: Wednesday December 19, 2001 7:07 PM

NEW YORK (AP) -- Barry Bonds will stay with the San Francisco Giants, deciding Wednesday to accept the team's offer of salary arbitration.

Bonds, who became a free agent after hitting a record 73 home runs, could wind up with a one-year contract worth at least $20 million. He would prefer to sign a multiyear deal, said his agent, Scott Boras.

[Yogi#8Fan]

This is an old article from February 2001 but hopefully, can at least prove useful until I find something more updated.

Arbitrary decisions -- Players in arbitration get record 144 percent raise (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/mlb/news/2001/02/22/arbitration_study_ap/index.html)

Posted: Thursday February 22, 2001 1:09 PM
Updated: Thursday February 22, 2001 11:16 PM

NEW YORK (AP) -- Baseball's free-agent spending spree turned into a record year for players in salary arbitration.

The 101 players who filed for arbitration last month will average $2,646,444 this year, according to a study by The Associated Press, smashing the previous mark of $2,099,790, set two years ago.

[CubFan7125]

Someday's I wonder where ESPN gets their info, or at least who does their fact checking.Boone denies accepting arbitration offer

By Jim Street
MLB.com

Free agent second baseman Bret Boone denies a report by ESPN.com that said Wednesday he has accepted the Seattle Mariners salary arbitration offer.

"It's not true," Boone said from his home Wednesday morning. "I have not made a decision. I am still a free agent."

ESPN.com reported that Boone had accepted salary arbitration and therefore would be assured of returning to the Mariners for the 2002 season.

Boone is one of 18 free agents that have until midnight (ET) Wednesday to accept or reject salary arbitration offers. A player that accepts the offer take themselves off the free agent market, while those who refuse arbitration can still negotiate with their former teams until Jan. 8.

The list includes Barry Bonds and Juan Gonzalez.

Boone, coming off his best season -- .331 batting average, 37 home runs and American League-leading 141 RBIs -- has rejected a three-year, $25 million contract offer from the Mariners that includes a fourth-year club option for $9 million.

[Xanadu Dragon]

If it's true, Boone better be careful - - - $20 mill over three years is a lot better than $12 this year and begging again next year - - - if he flops in 2002.

Thanks for the heads up Satch - - I can see where it, accepting, could be used as a chip/weapon.

[sweaver]

Boone and Bell both accepted--which leaves the Mariners with too many infielders, having already traded for Cirillo. Sounds like another trade is in the offing.

[Xanadu Dragon]

I'm shocked Bell did not go to Colorado.

The deal to fix this jam will be very interesting - - it could end up being Boone!

[LeGrandOrange]

Originally posted by sweaver
Boone and Bell both accepted--which leaves the Mariners with too many infielders, having already traded for Cirillo. Sounds like another trade is in the offing.

Can you EVER have too many infielders? :)
The situation is good. Assuming Boone returns, the core infield is retained, Olerud, Boone, and Guillen, Cirillo becomes the 3B, and David Bell has a more suitable role as utility infielder. (He's a great fielder, and he's not exactly Aurelio Rodriguez at the plate, but he's not Wade Boggs either) Him and Mark McLemore should serve this role. The problem is that I don't believe the Mariners have actually picked up a LF. So it'll instead be Bell and Charles Gipson.
The Rockies could use Buddy's son, easily, but for some reason, Greg Norton would not seem to be a bad guy to use there. He's reaching potential right now, had a great year in limited time. Is he the long term answer? Of course not. But he always could be...and may be the 2002 answer. Unfortunately, Terry Shumpert may end up having to get time if he fails. Or Brent Butler, perhaps.

[Xanadu Dragon]

Brent Butler signed a ball for me back in 98 when he was at Prince William - - so, now, I gotta root for the guy!

The thing with Bell is - - - yeah, he could be a UT INF, but, he's going to get a mill $ contract - - why spend that when most UT INF go for a few hundred grand?

I still think the end up trading Boone - just a feeling.